Tim Richel
EDPSYCH 528
12/09/03
Final Project Abstract & References
Creating a School Identity via
Motivational Culture: Implications and Assumption
The purpose of this review was to explore and make explicit the possible ways that different motivation achievement theories make assumptions about education and self. In particular, I wanted to answer the following questions: to what extent does the learner have to adopt a particular educational identity, or set of educational values in order to be motivated to achieve in a particular context? To carry out this task I utilized the three social psychological motivational axioms of striving for mastery, seeking connectedness and valuing “me and mine” to analyze the different motivational theories collectively encapsulated under the umbrella labels of social cognitive theory (Schunk, 1989; Bandura & Schunk, 1981), achievement goal theory (Nicholls and Miller, 1984) and cognitive evaluation theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000). It was concluded that different theories emphasize different aspects of the three motivational axioms, but all the motivational theories systematically neglect the larger social realm that is perhaps the most influential factor on both education and self.
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